The volcano with the highest activity level in the Philippines began pouring lava on Sunday, raising the risk of a massive explosion that would drive thousands of residents to flee their homes at once.
The majority of the impoverished farming towns within a 6 km radius of the Mayon volcano's crater in the northeastern Albay province have been forced to evacuate, and over 12,000 people have already done so. The evacuations started last week when the volcano started exhibiting signs of increased unrest.
Authorities issued a warning that many more people could still be found in the area below Mayon which has been deemed to be an ongoing danger zone.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology's head warned that if the eruption of Mayon turned strong, it may increase the high-risk zone nearby. Lava began spewing from the volcano on Sunday night.
People in any higher-risk areas should be prepared to flee and seek refuge in emergency shelters, according to Teresito Bacolcol.
In the case of a significant eruption, Albay was declared to be in a state of emergency on Friday to enable quicker disbursement of any disaster assistance funding.
On Sunday, officials and locals started relocating big herds of cows and water buffaloes from dangerous farms to 25 alternative grazing places that were farther away and safer.
One of the 24 active volcanoes in the country, Mayon is a major tourist attraction. When it last erupted forcefully in 2018, tens of thousands of residents were forced to flee.
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